Fictional Facts of the Phoenix Empire Part six - History of the Empire

As there have repeatedly been questions and a few misunderstandings, I have sat down on New Year's Day and condensed a brief history timeline out of our notes. Of course this is far from complete, but it is meant to be just an orientation for those who are interested.

Most of the really important and interesting moments of the Phoenix Empire we’re going to write about sooner or later, anyway. As we post more and more pieces, we will continuously update this post and add relevant dates and links, where appropriate. Also, if we have mentionend an event in a story somewhere that is not included in this list, please let me know. As long as it is not totally minor, I’ll gladly add it to the timeline below.

The Silver Age

Everything before 2976 is considered prehistory and mostly irrelevant. With the activation of the first jumpgate, Humanity entered the interstellar stage, setting the foundations for the glorious Empire we witness today.

2976First jumpgate activated

3520First Contact with the Youh’Kai, the first Aliens ever to pose a significant threat to humanity.

3523Beginning of the Youh’Kai War, Sacking of Agrabah.

3689End of Youh’Kai War

The Gilded Republic

Little is known about the Gilded republic, except that is was a time of borrowed wealth and unsustainable welfare, created by a short-sighted democratic government.

3900 (ca)Collapse of the Gilded Republic.

The Dark Ages

The collapse of the Gilded Republic lead to a breakdown of almost all interstellar travel and communication. Humanity descended into a Dark Age of isolation, and lots of knowledge of the Gilded Republic was lost.

4604Rediscovery of Guild Central marks the end of the Dark Ages.

The Age of Feuding Houses

The noble houses that came into power during the Dark Ages struggled for dominance, squabbling, splitting, merging and killing each others off until they became the Noble Houses we know today.

4967First Succession War begins.

The Phoenix Empire

With the crowning of the first human Emperor, humanity for the first time is united under a single, strong leadership, and only the gods know what the future may hold.

4980Alexander Habichtswald is crowned First Emperor; founds the Phoenix Knights.

4995The ‘Purge of the Verata’ ignites on Guild Central.

4996Emperor Alexander I Habichtswald disappears, sparks the Second Succession War.

4997Father Rasputin of Serin founds the Aroona.The Psions’ Guild founded

4998The Siege of Far'Gesh

5001Coronation of Emperor Hyperion I Dracon, end of SWII.Concord of P2 settles all remaining claims. See 'Deal with the Devil' and 'Ouverture'

5009Emperor Hyperion abdicates in favor of his son Gregorius I.

5012Official diplomatic relations with Youh'Kai'Nor established.

5023Gregorius’ Consort Amadeus inaugurates the Malachite Guard.

5030Emperor Gregorius abdicates in favor of his godson Leesha Dracon.Elisander I is crowned Emperor.

5033Emperor Elisander marries.

5043, JuneOne Day War against Scilla Republic. See 'Shock and Awe'Official diplomatic relations with the Confederation of Felid Tribes established.

Well, we just had this discussion the other day. If you put all the hints together, you can tell who will succeed Gregorius. There's conclusive proof in our stories, though I have to admit it is not easy to find.

If you figure it out, please don't spoil it for the other's who might enjoy searching. ^^

After reading 'Deal with the Devil' I really want to know how can a relationship between Amadeus (Habichtswald) and Gregorius I (Dracon) work? I can imagine that all the family of Amadeus was eliminated after SWII and I could think that Hyperion was as cuddly as Yaden's grandfather! :S :S :S

How did this happen? :D :D :D

I know that it must BIG spoilers what I am asking to know, but I cant resist writing it, because maybe this way I can stop obsessing a little!!! :D :D :D

Actually, you didn't ask overly spoilery things, as most of it is 'official history' by the time of Leesha and Yaden. So, here's the rundown as far as it would appear in the books, if you have more questions, please ask:

Amadeus Habichtswald grew up as the younger son of a Countess on Shiraz. His family line was old and respected and owned on of the most renowned vineyards on Shiraz. It could have been the beginning of a happy and unremarkable life if Amadeus hadn’t been as gay as they come and shockingly flamboyant about it. House Habichtswald was strictly heteronormative in their views, and not being a dashing guy or a pretty girl was calling for trouble.

Somewhat unexpectedly, Amadeus turned out to be an excellent duelist, probably a heritage of his Andragor father. Also, he proved almost frighteningly skilled on the social circuit and knew how to force the society on Shiraz to accept him, if only grudgingly.

Some time after the end of the first succession war, when he was in his early twenties, Amadeus moved to the capital on P2, where he quickly became one of the movers and shakers of the local party, gossip and fashion scene.

This was also when he met Gregorius Dracon, the teenage son of Duke Hyperion Dracon, the Prince of the House. It was love on first sight, at least on Gregorius’ side. Amadeus, though already notorious for dealing with ‘the Arch-Enemy’ and his colorful sexual adventures, was a bit reluctant to start an affair with a boy of that age.

They chased each other around for a few days on P2, found each other and apparently fell in love for good.

Naturally, both their Houses were outraged, but nobody had expected the chaos that erupted when the two eloped and disappeared from the Empire. It needed sharp words from Emperor Alexander to prevent a new vendetta between the two houses.

Things calmed down slowly, and three years after their disappearance from P2, Amadeus and Gregorius re-appeared on Serin. Apparently, they had gained the backing of Greg’s father Hyperion, who seemed genuinely smitten by his new son-in-law. Given the Duke’s generally misanthrope character, that was a miracle by itself, and not a small one.

Gregorius and Amadeus married on Serin, accompanied by the hissy fit House Habichtswald was throwing. But House Dracon wasn’t all happy either, as Amadeus pointedly did not relinquish his family name and titles, and instead insisted on being addressed as a Habichtswald.

With the beginning of the Second Succession War, Amadeus remained steadfastly at his husband’s side, which in the eyes of the Habichtswald made him the worst traitor of all times. When Hyperion ascended the throne, he was present when the last official member of his family was beheaded in the throne room of the imperial palace.

The only apparent concession Amadeus ever made to other nobles was that he abstained from claiming the title of Empress upon the coronation of Gregorius, instead settling for the title of Royal Consort with the famous words: “I’ve been called a Flaming Queen all my life already, I really don’t need to be the Phoenix Empress.”

triptyx on February 10th, 2012 06:32 pm (UTC)Re: The first Phoenix Empress

YAY!!! WOW THANK YOU FOR YOR ANSWER!!! :)

Sorry it took me so long to read it and thank you!

So Amadeus is a little bit older than Gregorius and he won over Hyperion (who I think would make Yaden's grandfather look like a cuddly teddy bear! :S :S :S)!!! Sorry to say but your answer just put even more fuel to my obsession of wanting to know MORE about Amadeus and Gregorius!! >:D >:D >:D

I am still intrigued about him being relatively ok with the complete annihilation of his entire house! :S :S :S

I want more of them! I want more of everything! >:D >:D >:D ;)

I want to know why the Habichtswald Emperor Alexander I disappeared? Disappeared as in assassinated without a trace?

Why did Hyperion abdicate? Why later his son also abdicates?

And I see there are new dates in the timeline!!! YAYAYAYAYAY!!! I have a feeling we will sometime in the future learn who is the Emperor now!!! I am still obsessing about that by the way *tries to make you feel guilty* ;) :D :D :D!!! :D

osirisbrackhaus on February 11th, 2012 07:10 am (UTC)Re: The first Phoenix Empress

You are most welcome! Never mind the late reply, I had a great time writing the answer to your comment and trying hard to avoid the real spoilery bits. ^^

And yes, next to Hyperion, Ilya was cuddly indeed. The floor of the imperial throne room is still pockmarked in places where Hyperion pounced people he found offensive and shredded them with the monoblade extensions of his cybernetic arachnid legs.

There is still a lot of speculation going on about why Amadeus merely watched his House being eradicated. But no one knows for sure. A tiny fact though, that is kept tightly under wraps by the Dracon, is that when the Dracon troops finally conquered Shiraz, the chateau of Amadeus immediate family was found deserted, with no trace of the former inhabitants...

Also, no on really knows what happened when Alexander I disappeared. Both Hyperion and Alexander's mother claimed to have received word of him before his disappearance, so an assassination seems rather unlikely.

Both Hyperion and Gregorius have abdicated voluntarily, as they were pretty much fed up with the job after eight and 21 years respectively. Also they each knew they had a successor much more suited to deal with the times ahead...

Yep, we WILL learn about the Emperor, and there's constantly new dates added to both the story and history timelines. We're writing in any spare moment, so there's a lot more to come.

Thanks so much for enjoying our little adventure in the Phoenix Empire with us.